Devices suitable for chopping and shredding food objects such as heads of lettuce are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,605,839, FIGS. 4-7 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,924,501. Such devices are mounted on a working table and a limited free space exists under them for receiving the chopped pieces. The vertical sliding action in U.S. Pat. No. 3,924,501 is awkward and subject to binding and the rotational action in U.S. Pat. No. 3,605,839 wastefully diverts a considerable component by pushing along the blades rather than directly through them. An object of this invention is to provide a device for shredding and chopping objects, which discharges clear of a mounting surface and operates with high force utilization.